


Father-Daughter Bonding

by Poledancingdinos



Series: Syverson x Reader [4]
Category: Sand Castle (2017)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fatherhood, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27394315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poledancingdinos/pseuds/Poledancingdinos
Summary: Sy is feeling overwhelmed as he tries to adjust to fatherhood.
Relationships: Captain Syverson (Sand Castle)/Reader, Captain Syverson/You
Series: Syverson x Reader [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2001223
Kudos: 14





	Father-Daughter Bonding

You woke to the sound of your baby girl crying her little lungs out in the nursery two rooms over. You were ready to get up to go soothe her, but you realized that your husband was already up and out of the room. You waited a few minutes, expecting the wailing to quiet down but instead, it only grew louder.

Your husband’s soft cooing echoed through the baby monitor.

“Come on, Sweetie, it’s okay… You don’t have to cry.”

His voice sounded tired, but it was the hint of desperation in his voice that drew your attention. You rose from the bed and walked over to the nursery where your husband was pacing back and forth, rocking your six-month old daughter.

“Is she hungry?” You figured that your daughter’s refusal to be soothed stemmed from her hunger which your husband could not have handled on his own.

“No, I checked. I got up for some water and I heard her fussin’ but when I picked her up, she just started cryin’ louder.”

He handed her over to you and the crying quieted. You could see the hurt on his face at not being able to comfort his own baby girl.

“What am I doin’ wrong?” His low voice cracked ever so slightly.

“Sy, baby you aren’t doing anything wrong.”

“Sometimes I just feel like she’s not even my daughter… Like she’s your daughter and I’m just this intruder in her life.”

“She’s just not used to you yet. She doesn’t recognize your voice, your smell or your face. She doesn’t consciously know that I’m her mother or that you’re her father she just recognizes me as someone safe.”

The crying had stopped completely now, and your daughter was looking up at you with her big blue eyes. You glanced up and your husband who was leaning against the changing table, head hung low in shame.

“Take your shirt off.”

“Bug, no offense, but I’m not in the mood right now.”

“Would you just trust your wife, take your shirt off and sit in the rocker?”

He did as he was told, reaching over his head, and pulling his favorite red shirt off by the collar. You laid your daughter down on the changing table and stripped her of her onesie before taking her back into your arms and throwing one of her soft blankets over your shoulder. You walked to your husband who was quietly rocking back and forth, visibly upset with the whole situation.

“I know that you can feel like a stranger in your own house sometimes, what with you being away most of the year and I can’t imagine how much worse it must be knowing that you weren’t here for the pregnancy or Ellie’s birth. She’s been in this world for all of six months and for four of those six I was the only one taking care of her. Having a dad is knew for her just like being a father is new for you.”

You carefully placed your daughter stomach down on his chest so that her head was over his heart then draped the soft flannel over them both so that she wouldn’t be cold.

“In NICUs they have these special chairs for what they call Kangaroo Care. They use them for skin-to-skin contact, and they have a lot of health benefits for premature babies. They also found that skin-to-skin helps develop the emotional bond between babies and their parents. She’s old enough not to need a special chair so whenever you feel like being a dad is a little overwhelming you can just lay her on your chest like this and hold her while she sleeps, okay?”

Sy looked down at his precious girl, her eyes drifting closed as she tightened her small fist around the curls on his chest. You tilted your head to the side, studying his face for any sign of discomfort.

“Are you okay here on your own or do you want me to stay?”

Sy nodded gently, being careful not to disturb Ellie.

“I think I’ll be okay; you should go back to sleep. I’ll come get you if she needs to nurse.”

You leaned down to lay a chaste kiss on his lips and brushed a hand softly over his bearded cheek before walking back to bed.

The next time you woke it was morning and the sun was shining through the curtains in your room. You looked over at the other half of the bed which was, once again, empty. As you peeked through into the nursery, you saw you daughter in the same place you had left her on your husband’s chest. Sy’s face was now marked with dark circles under his eyes.

“Did you spend the entire night here with her? Aren’t you tired?”

“You give me the secret to holdin’ my daughter for hours without her fussin’ even a little and you expect me to put her down to go sleep?”

You smiled and shook your head as you walked down the hall towards the kitchen to get some coffee started, having a feeling that he was going to need it.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://poledancingdinos.tumblr.com/)


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